Chapter 327: Chaos Descends, Uninvolved in Worldly Strife
Glancing at Qiu Shuihan’s stunned and speechless expression, Tang Qianmen forced a smile and sneered: “Now that you’ve experienced it firsthand, do you still want to ask me about Lin Tianlu?”
“…”
Qiu Shuihan was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.
If that earth-shattering sword strike was truly Lin Tianlu’s handiwork, if she continued to act recklessly…
…perhaps that sword would fall upon her head next.
However, this person’s cultivation far exceeded her expectations… Could a mere “scholar” truly possess such power?!
Even though the powerful sword light had almost dissipated, Qiu Shuihan’s heart was still filled with shock, her soul trembling slightly.
It was an instinctive fear.
“If you’re not lying, and you actually survived at the hands of this person…”
Qiu Shuihan looked back with a complex expression: “Could it be that you have some sort of… unusual relationship with him?”
“He just showed mercy and spared my life.”
Tang Qianmen lowered her eyes and murmured: “I just shamelessly took advantage of his kindness and fled.”
Qiu Shuihan narrowed her eyes, pondering inwardly. She didn’t press the matter further, instead musing: “But there’s a surge of bloody baleful energy outside Fengtai County, why would Lin Tianlu be there slaying demons… Isn’t he from Changling County, Xima Prefecture? Could he, like us, be attracted by the news of the eight clans’ secret realm?”
“…”
Tang Qianmen lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing her reaction, Qiu Shuihan was certain that she knew nothing and couldn’t help but click her tongue softly.
The current situation in Fengtai County was becoming increasingly volatile. A single misstep could lead to an abyss, and she couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.
“You… despicable villains!!”
But just then, a furious roar suddenly echoed from within the county.
Qiu Shuihan’s heart trembled, and she looked towards the sound, seeing that the battle in the distance had reignited, and this time, it seemed both sides were using their full strength, a hundred-zhang black sword falling from the sky, its power enough to shake the entire county!
Sensing carefully, it seemed that King Li of the ancient realm was becoming more and more ferocious, forcing the other Savage Realm great demons to retreat, not daring to confront him directly.
At the same time, a deep and ancient voice echoed through the sky above the county.
“The secret realm… isn’t here!”
“Lies!”
“We’ve been deceived for four thousand years!”
Although the voice was calm and distant, the intense anger it contained made lightning flash in the sky, an oppressive pressure descending.
Qiu Shuihan’s mind raced, her eyes widening slightly:
“The secret realm isn’t in Fengtai County?!”
Crack, crack, crack!
Numerous cracks appeared in the sky above, and several figures, seemingly from the ancient realm, emerged, snorting coldly as they flew towards where the sword light had dissipated.
Qiu Shuihan looked at the figures streaking across the sky, her eyes flickering.
The current situation seemed increasingly unpredictable.
“You two, come with me.”
Qiu Shuihan waved her hand, and the silver sphere beside her was pulled into her sleeve. With a flick of her fingers, countless silver threads intertwined and formed a snow-white robe, quickly wrapping around Tang Qianmen’s voluptuous figure, like a beautiful and elegant fur coat.
Tang Qianmen looked surprised: “Are you really still going—”
“No.”
Qiu Shuihan grabbed her arm, her expression serious, and said in a deep voice: “I’m taking you away from this place right now, we can’t stay here any longer.”
Saying this, she instantly transformed into a wisp of black smoke, teleporting silently a hundred zhang away, flickering repeatedly, her footsteps silent, moving through the alleys of the county like a ghost, until she quickly escaped outside the city.
But…
Thump!
Qiu Shuihan suddenly hit an invisible barrier and stumbled back a few steps.
Tang Qianmen’s expression changed drastically, and she murmured: “A trap?”
“Lingluo Woman, Qiu Shuihan, you came to the ancient realm’s territory, and now you think you can leave so easily?”
A slightly frivolous and casual voice echoed softly from ahead.
Qiu Shuihan looked closely and quickly saw a strange figure sitting cross-legged on a tree branch not far away, dressed in black robes, thin and gaunt, wearing an old black and white mask, a bizarre and eerie sight.
“Why don’t you stay and see the true face of the treasures within the eight clans’ secret realm?”
“And who are you?”
Qiu Shuihan covered her mouth with her sleeve and sneered: “Since when do I need your permission to come and go as I please?”
“The battle in the ancient realm hasn’t reached its climax yet, it would be a pity to leave now.”
The masked figure crossed his arms and chuckled: “Besides, having the Lingluo Woman of the Lingluo Valley on the battlefield would make it even more exciting.”
Although the smile remained on Qiu Shuihan’s face, her eyes turned colder.
She couldn’t see through this person’s aura, his strength was unknown—
“Luo Xing Soultaker, Gu Yasheng.”
Tang Qianmen suddenly whispered: “He’s from the Luo Xing.”
“Heh! I didn’t expect you to still recognize me, Incense Master Tang.”
The masked man readily admitted his identity and chuckled: “Now that you know I’m a Luo Xing Soultaker, would you two kindly return to the county?”
Qiu Shuihan sneered, her eyes narrowing coldly: “The Luo Xing truly has a high opinion of themselves, do you really think you control all the demons and ghosts in this world? I’m leaving now, what can you do about it?”
“That’s a problem.”
The masked man scratched his black and white mask and said regretfully: “The Lingluo Woman is as unruly as ever. Not long ago, your disciple caused trouble during the Path of the Netherworld ritual in Jianggai County, her ambitions quite grand. And you, as her master, want to come and go as you please… I can’t let you get away with this.”
Qiu Shuihan’s gaze turned even colder.
“It seems there are some ‘secrets’ outside the city that you don’t want us to see—like the place where the sea of blood and sword energy erupted?”
“…Tsk! That Bai Shiyi brat has caused quite a bit of trouble.”
The masked man’s previously playful tone turned serious: “But we can’t have any more variables, you’re not going anywhere.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly struck out with his palm, instantly shattering the slender figure, leaving a large handprint on the ground.
“Hmm?”
The masked man exclaimed softly and looked to the side: “The Lingluo techniques are truly strange, she escaped without a trace, and the fake body she left behind is so realistic… However, you’re carrying a burden, let’s see how long you can escape!”
…
Inside a pavilion in Fengtai County.
“How… is this possible—”
The previously calm and composed Bai Shiyi’s face was now filled with shock as he looked at the dissipating sword mark in the sky.
Who was trying to interfere? And who possessed such incredible cultivation?!
Could it be Lin Tianlu…
He hadn’t arrived in Fengtai County but had gone to another village dozens of miles away?!
And why had such an earth-shattering battle suddenly erupted in that direction? According to the plan, how could there be— “No!”
Bai Shiyi’s expression changed as he looked towards the direction where the gate to the ancient realm had opened.
The timing was wrong!
The entire ritual process was completely wrong!
He had been wondering why the ancient realm hadn’t started preparing for the opening of the eight clans’ secret realm, assuming they were deliberately stalling for time. But now it seemed…
The secret realm was very likely not in Fengtai County. Even if they wanted to open it, they couldn’t!
“They tricked us, the Luo Xing!”
Bai Shiyi’s expression changed constantly, almost crushing the folding fan in his hand.
Just then, several figures appeared behind him, bowing respectfully, the one in the lead saying in a deep voice: “My lord, the ancient realm has secretly sent several spies to the place where the incident occurred, even a few…”
“I know!”
Bai Shiyi suddenly roared, his fury erupting, and he shattered the embroidered screen beside him with a single punch.
After a moment of silence, his rage subsided slightly, and he turned around, saying coldly: “Continue to fan the flames and make this chaotic battle between the various factions even bigger, preferably large enough to reach that direction and force Lin Tianlu to appear!”
“My lord, this deviates from your original plan…”
“I can’t be at ease until this man is eliminated!”
The image of the earth-shattering sword strike flashed through Bai Shiyi’s mind, an uncontrollable unease rising in his heart.
Even though he had already estimated Lin Tianlu’s strength to be extremely high, witnessing it firsthand was still incredibly shocking.
“Forget it, I’ll go and see for myself—”
Whoosh!
But at this moment, an incredibly strange aura swiftly passed by outside the pavilion, a faint, cold chuckle echoing.
Bai Shiyi’s pupils constricted, and he looked back in shock, but the figure was already gone, not even a trace of its aura could be detected.
“What… what was that just now?”
His subordinates looked even more confused: “My lord? Did you find something?”
“Didn’t you feel anything?”
“This…”
“Strange, strange!”
Bai Shiyi tightly gripped the window frame, his eyes flickering: “What’s going on?! Is there some other trap or mechanism in Fengtai County that I don’t know about? Or is there someone who’s not on the ‘list’?!”
One unexpected event after another, the situation seemed to be slipping out of his control. The ancient realm hadn’t made any moves yet, when would the secret realm truly open?!
“…Now, my only hope lies with this ‘Eight Gods Pearl’.”
Bai Shiyi reached into his sleeve and took out a shimmering, translucent pearl, his expression incredibly grave.
He had obtained this object through great effort and secrecy, even the ancient realm knew nothing about it.
As long as he held this pearl, not only could he sense the opening of the secret realm in advance, but he could also use it to open the true hidden treasures within.
Even with all the unexpected events, as long as the secret realm and the pearl remained, he would still be in control of this gamble— Crack!
A crack slowly appeared on the pearl as Bai Shiyi stared blankly.
Then, the pearl was suddenly covered in cracks, and before he could react, it shattered into dust.
“…”
A deathly silence fell upon the pavilion.
Despite the renewed fighting and the echoing roars and screams in the county, one could hear a pin drop inside the pavilion at this moment.
Bai Shiyi just stared blankly at the dust in his palm, speechless for a long time.
And the practitioners standing silently in the room, their faces now pale and grim, felt an invisible pressure descending.
“…I didn’t expect this to happen.”
After a long time, Bai Shiyi looked towards the ongoing battle outside the window, raised his head, and chuckled self-deprecatingly: “The fool… was me all along.”
“My lord, you’re…”
Pfft!
A cold light flashed, and the head of one of the practitioners flew into the air.
Instantly, everyone in the room froze, their bodies trembling slightly.
“Proceed according to the original plan.”
Bai Shiyi said indifferently without turning around: “This time, we must cause complete chaos in the world… and also, take this fool’s corpse away, it’s a bad omen.”
“Yes!”
…
In a desolate valley in the wilderness.
It was the middle of winter, and the place looked particularly bleak. Although the Spring Festival was approaching, this small and usually deserted village was still quiet and peaceful, only the occasional laughter of children echoing, a strangely idyllic atmosphere.
Two figures walked into an old farmhouse.
“Hmm?”
The old man, who had just gone out for a night call, paused, rubbing his eyes in surprise: “Am I seeing things, why…”
“Sorry to disturb your rest, old man.”
Lin Tianlu smiled gently, cupping his hands: “I just came down from the mountain and wanted to retrieve the carriage we left here, but seeing that it’s getting late, I wanted to ask if there’s a place to rest in this village?”
“You… you actually came down from the mountain?”
The old man looked surprised, clicking his tongue in wonder: “You have an imposing aura, young man, like a hidden expert, it seems my guess was correct… But our village doesn’t have an inn. If you and your two wives don’t mind, you can rest at my house.”
He pointed to a dilapidated single room in the courtyard: “That’s the room where my two children used to live, but my daughter has married, and my son is working elsewhere, so it’s empty now.”
Lin Tianlu felt a pang of sympathy and bowed seriously: “Thank you for your kindness, old man, we naturally won’t mind.”
“But your two wives seem like refined ladies, I hope they can endure staying in this humble house.” The old man said with concern: “Do you need me to find some oil lamps…”
“There’s no need, you should go back and rest, old man.” Lin Tianlu quickly said: “We have everything we need in the carriage, there’s no need for you to worry.”
“Alright, alright, I’m just rambling.”
The old man smiled kindly, about to leave, but after taking two steps, he couldn’t help but ask curiously: “Did you find anything in the mountain, young man?”
Lin Tianlu smiled faintly: “Quite a bit.”
“It’s good that your trip wasn’t in vain.”
The old man sighed but didn’t pry further, tightening his outer robe and slowly walking back to his room, his steps slightly unsteady.
“…”
Silence returned to the small courtyard.
Youluo, who had been silent, casually gestured, and an invisible barrier appeared around the old man’s house, blocking any sound.
“The people in this village are truly simple and honest, not only are their houses unlocked, but they don’t even mind letting strangers like us stay the night.” She crossed her arms and chuckled softly: “If they encountered a group of bandits disguised as scholars, this village would be in danger~”
“Although they’re simple and honest, it doesn’t mean they’re foolish or naive.”
Lin Tianlu turned around and smiled faintly: “If there truly were bandits here, they wouldn’t be so relaxed.”
Youluo’s eyes twinkled, and she said seductively: “But it seems now, it’s only a matter of time before those ‘bandits’ arrive.”
“That’s why I need your cooperation, Miss Youluo.”
Lin Tianlu beckoned, and a massive figure quickly jumped into the courtyard. It was Yun Yue, transformed into a giant fox several zhang tall. Mao Ruoyu and Cheng Yishi were lying on her snow-white back, seemingly sleeping soundly.
“Yue’er, let Ruoyu and Yishi rest in the house, and you protect them for now. Miss Youluo and I will go and deal with those who are coming.”
“Be careful.”
Yun Yue blinked her eyes and nuzzled against him affectionately before transforming into a graceful and mature woman, her fluffy fox tail gently supporting the two women, as if they were nestled in a soft cloud.
“If you’re tired, Yue’er, just rest with them for a while.”
Lin Tianlu gave her a gentle reminder and quickly left the courtyard with Youluo.
…
Only when they were alone did Youluo cover her face with her fan, her gaze intense and meaningful: “I still can’t believe you actually took away that entire Immortal Phoenix Mountain, Master Lin.”
Not long ago, she had witnessed the most shocking thing in her life.
This man before her, with a wave of his hand, had seemingly lifted the entire mountain range, even the spiritual veins of heaven and earth converging in his palm, like a true immortal or god.
Of course, the physical mountain was still there, but its essence had clearly been taken away, leaving behind only ordinary rock and earth.
…But perhaps it wouldn’t be that difficult to truly take it away?
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “You’re exaggerating, Miss, I didn’t actually lift the mountain.”
Youluo couldn’t help but roll her eyes:
“You took the entire ‘mountain’ into your body, what’s the difference?”
Although her words were light and casual, she was still a bit surprised that… Chi Lingyuan and the mountain spirit girl were now actually inside his ‘body.’
“But when will they come out?”
“They’re just temporarily connected to me, they can come out anytime they want.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled awkwardly: “But judging by their personalities, they don’t want to wander around outside right now.”
Youluo raised an eyebrow: “So you’re really going to carry them around with you all the time?”
“It ultimately depends on Miss Chi and the others’ wishes.”
“Hmph~ You’re quite considerate.”
Youluo teased: “Those strange spiritual chains can directly bind souls, you should make good use of them. If I were you, I would seize this opportunity and make Miss Chi my personal plaything, never letting her leave my side.”
Lin Tianlu’s eye twitched, and he sighed:
“I can’t betray Miss Chi’s trust.”
“How is that betrayal? If you truly bound her with those spiritual chains for the rest of her life, that phoenix girl might even be overjoyed.”
“Cough…”
Seeing his subtle expression, Youluo narrowed her eyes and smiled seductively.
But she didn’t continue teasing him. Instead, she formed hand seals with her fingers, and strange patterns spread around them.
“Be prepared, Master Lin.”
“Don’t worry.”
Lin Tianlu put his hands behind his back and smiled gently: “This peaceful little village won’t be disturbed by outsiders.”
